Adjustable chair



2 Sheets-Sheet 1L;

(NoMode L) H. S. FELTON.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

a R S v S 5 S i 0 H v S 4 H 3 R S I H H St a WITNESSES: INVENTOR N Q/K QQ J ATTORNEYS.

( No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. S. FELTON.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

No. 328,883, Patenfied Oct. 20, 1885.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

lUNirn hra'rns ATFNT tries HAMLET S. FELTON, OF CHESTER, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

EEPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,883, dated October 20, 1885.

Application filed November 21, 1884. Serial No. 1-18, 500.

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAMLET S. FELTON, of Chester, in the county of Randolph and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Adjustable Chair, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved chair which is so constructed that it can be folded together very compactly and lowered through an opening in the floor, whereby a room, hall, theater, church, &c., provided with my improved chairs can be converted into a room having an entirely clear floor in a few moments, thus enabling the occupants of the room to leave the same very rapidly.

The invention consists in the combination, with a guide or guides held between two floors, of a sliding folding chair on the said guide, which chair is adapted to be passed through an opening in the upper floor at the top of the said guide. A trapdoor is formed for closing the said opening when the chair is lowered, and devices are provided for automatically closing the said door when the chair reaches the lower floor.

The invention also consists in various parts and details, and cornbinationsof the same, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation of my improved folding chair, the same being erected for use. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing it folded and lowered as when not in use. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the same on the line as m, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail front view of the lower part of the chair. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the chair, parts being broken out and others in section. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the bar to which the braces are secured.

The chair is constructed of a back, A, to which two side pieces, 13, are secured, the said side pieces extending up to the arm-rests C, pivoted to the sides of the back A, and connected by straps O with the side edges of the pivoted seat D, between the side pieces, B.

(No model.)

The arm-rests 0, when lowered, rest upon the upper edges of the side pieces, B.

On the lower part of the rear surface of the back A of the chair a piece, E, having a dovetailed recess, is secured, through which recess an inclined or vertical standard or guide, F, passes, which has a dovetail cross-section to lit in the recess of the piece E, the said standard or guide extending from the floor G of the room, hall, 850., down to a floor, G, about four or five feet below the floor G.

An opening, H, the width of which is equal to the width of the side pieces, B, and the length of which is equal to the width of the back A, is formed in the floor G directly in front of the standardF, and the said opening can be closed by a trap-door, I, hinged to the floor G, to swing upward. A rope, chain, or wire, J, is secured to the under side of the trap-door, near the free edge of the same, and its lower end is secured to a spiral spring, J, secured on the floor G, which spring keeps the lower end of the rope J raised so that the rope will be slack as long as the chair is raised.

In front of the bottom of the standard F rubber cushions Kare provided, against which the bottom edges of the sides B of the chair can strike when the chair is lowered.

To the bottom of the back A a rope, L, is secured,which passes over a pulley, L, in the top of the inclined guide F, passes down over the back of the said guide, and has a weight, M, secured to the free end,which weight, to a certain extent, counterbalances the weight of the chair.

On the inner surface of each side B two guides, N, are secured, between which a crossbar, 0, is adapted to slide, to which are pivoted braces P, having their upper ends pivoted to the under side of the seat D. The cross-bar O is provided at each end with a downwardly-projecting beveled tongue or lug, Q, the outer edge of each lug resting against a transverse bolt, R, held a short distance from the inner surface of the corresponding side piece,l3,by springs S, having their upper ends secured to the side pieces, and their lower ends surrounding the bolts. The ends of the bolts R pass through longitudinal slots T in bars T, uniting the front and rear edges of the side pieces, B, at the bottoms of the same, thus guiding the bolts in their movement toward and from the inner surface of the side pieces, 13.

The bolts are united by a chain or rope, U, from which a chain or rope, V, extends up through a groove or opening, a, in the back of the chair, and the upper end of the ropeV is secured to a lever, WV, pivoted on the top of the back. A roller, 1), is pi voted on the back, against which the rope works. From the beams 01 a bracket, g, projects directly below the edges of the door I, at each corner of the same,which brackets have their bottom edges beveled and are each provided near the top edge with a recess, h, adapted to receive one end of a bolt, R.

The standard F, whose sides or edges form guides for the sliding chair in its elevation and descent, may consist of one or several pieces, with oval, grooved, beaded, beveled, or square edges to receive or fit the beads or' grooves of the sliding chair.

The operation is as follows: Then the chair is folded, it is held below the floor G, the door I being closed. If the chair is to be erected, the door I is raised, the upper part of the back of the chair is seized and pulled upward until the ends of the bolts R strike the bottom beveled edges of the brackets 9, up which they slide until they reach the notches h, into which they are forced by the springs S,whereby the chair is locked in place, the main part of the chair projecting above the floor G. The seat D is then swung down until the beveled outer edges of the lugs Q. rest against the bolts It, as shown in Fig. 6. As the said lugs press against the bolts It they prevent the bolts from being withdrawn from the notches hin the brackets 9 while the chair is occupied, and thus prevent accidental unlocking of the chair. In case of a fire, panic, or any other like emergency, where it is very desirable to have all the seats removed as quickly as possible, so

as to enable the persons in the room to reach the doors easily and rapidly, each occupant of each chair pulls upward the lever W,whereby the rope V will be pulled upward, which in turn pulls up the rope Uat the middle, whereby the bolts R are pulled out of the notches h in the brackets 9, thus permitting the chair to descend. The seat and arm rests can be folded up before lowering the chair; but if this is neglected they are folded up'by coming in contact with the raised door I. When the chair arrives at the floor G it strikes the spring J, whereby the rope or cord J is pulled downward suddenly, and thus closes the door I flush with the floor G.

The cushions K prevent injury to the chair when it strikes the bottom floor, G. The chair slides on the guide or standard F, on which it is held, and it can be raised and lowered very easily and rapidly. Any hall, theater,or other room can be converted into a ballroom in a few moments, and, when necessary, the seats can be raised in a short time by a few men.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a guide or guides projecting downward from a floor having an opening at the upper end of the guide or guides, of a chair adapted to slide on the said guide or guides, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a guide or guides projecting downward from a floor having an opening at the upper end of the guide or guides, of a folding chair held to slide on the said guide or guides and of a trap-door for closing the opening, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with two floors, of a guide or guides extending from one floor to the other, in front of which guide or guides an opening is formed in the upper floor, a sliding chair on the said guide or guides, the chair being'adapted to pass through the opening, and of cushions on the lower floor and in front of the guide or guides on which the chair slides, substantially as herein shown and described.'

4.. The combination, with two floors, of a guide or guides uniting them, in front of which guide or guides an opening is formed in the upper floor, a sliding chair on the guides, a trapdoor forclosing the opening, a rope or its equivalent secured to the trap-door, and to a lever or spring on the bottom floor, substantially as herein shown and described.

5., The combination, with two floors, of a guide or guides extending from one floor to the other, a sliding chair on the guide or guides, a rope secured to the bottom of the chair and passing over a pulley at the top of the guide or guides, and a weight on the free end of the rope, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The combination, with a guide or guides, of a chair adapted to slide up and down the same, spring-bolts held on the chair, and recessed or notched plates for receiving the said bolts when the chair is raised, thus locking the chair in place, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. The combination, with a guide or guides, of a sliding chair on the same, spring-bolts on the chair, notched plates for receiving the ends of the spring-bolts when the chair is raised, and ropes secured to the bolts and extending to the top of the back of the chair, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. The combination, with a vertically-sliding chair, of bolts held on the same by springs, notched plates for receiving the bolts, the rope U, uniting the bolts, and the rope V, extending from the rope U to the top of the chair, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. The combination, with a vertically-sliding chair, of bolts held on the same by springs, notched plates for receiving the bolts, the rope U, uniting the bolts, the rope V, extending from the rope U to the top of the chair, and.

of the lever "W, pivoted in the top of the chair, to which lever the upper end of the rope V is secured, substantially as herein shown and described.

10. In a verticallysliding chair, the combination, with the spring-bolts R, held at the inner surface of the sides of the chair, of the pivoted seat D, the, braces P, pivoted to the same, the crosspiece O, sliding between the side pieces, and of the lugs Q at the ends of the cross piece 0, substantially as herein shown and described.

11. In a vertically-sliding chair, the combination, with the springs S, secured to the illner surface of the side pieces, of the bolts It, held on the free ends of the springs S, the brackets 9, having their lower edges beveled and having notches h, the sliding crossbar 0, having end lugs, Q, the braces P, and the pivoted seat D, substantially as herein shown and described.

12. The combination, with a vertically-sliding chair, of the crosspieces T, having 1ongitudinal slots T at the ends, the bolts R, having their ends passed through the slots T, the

springs S, secured to the inner surfaces of the sides of the chair and to the bolts R, the brackets 9, having notches h, the cross-piece 0, having lugs Q, the hinged seat D, and the braces P, substantially as hereinshown and described.

13. The combination, with two floors, of an upright extending from one floor to the other, a sliding chair on the upright, the chair being adapted to pass through an opening in the upper floor in front of the top of the inclined upright, a trap-door for closing the said opening, and of devices for automatically swinging down the trap-door in the upper floor when the chair arrives at the lower floor, substantially as herein shown and described.

14. The combination, with aguide orguides, of a chair sliding 011 said guide and of springlatches for locking the chair in place when raised, substantially as herein shown and described.

HAMLET S. FELTON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS BARBER, HARRY H. BELL. 

